hi guys! :D here's the next chapter.

title: Dead Like Newport Living. DLNL for short, i suppose.
author: me! still, and that's not gonna change.
rating: T, if ever such a rating existed
disclaimer: neither shows are mine, nor will they ever, as in never ever, will be.
feedback: is a drug and i need my fix. AND thanx so much to all of you people who reviewed last chapter!! i was a junkie in heaven. :P

a/n: ah, i wasn't really sure about this chapter. the wording may be a bit confusing. if so, lemme know so i can either explain or fix it.

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Chapt. 10

'Welcome to Newport' the sign boasted, lit by a spotlight situated in front of it. Of course, one wouldn't know that just by looking. The light itself was well hidden. Newport's tax dollars at work, Marissa thought, smiling to herself as she entered the too-familiar streets in her amazing convertible. She smiled. It was just like old times.

Marissa kept her eyes open for the address but found that she didn't really need to. She could feel the house before she could see it, a loud bass resonating from the speakers within the house-turned-club for a night. Marissa pulled up behind a line of cars in the drive way and got out, locking the car as she went and smiling when several people's jaws dropped at the Corvette.

"Nice car, sexy!" some guy shouted, his buddies erupting into laughter beside him. Marissa rolled her eyes and walked into the house, immediately smelling alcohol, among other things.

The room was nicely decorated, not overdone, and everything was plastic so as to avoid breakage. It had been converted from presumably a living room to a dance floor, with a wet bar out by the pool in the backyard. The music was thumping loudly and a DJ could be seen on a second floor balcony as Marissa walked outside and into the pool area. She needed a drink or two if she was going to find anyone in this crowd. She pulled out her index card and glanced at the name. J.P. Somersworth. Marissa glanced around at the crowd, knowing full well that asking for J.P. Somersworth, without having any reason why, would probably arouse suspicion, and she did not need that. Marissa glanced at her watch. 11:48. In eleven minutes, J.P. Somersworth would be dead. Marissa quickly grabbed a shot and swallowed it, before taking a couple more. She knew that she wouldn't feel the effects of the alcohol, she was undead after all, but it was just for show, so others would be aware that she could quite possibly be drunk. She polished off her shots before grabbing a wine glass and downing half of it, then proceeded to try and walk drunkenly. She had had plenty of experience when she was alive, after all, so it wasn't much of a challenge.

Marissa stumbled over to a group of, presumably, jocks before throwing her arms over two guys' necks for support.

"Hey, guyzz" Marissa slurred, grinning drunkenly at them all. They all grinned back.

"Well, hello," one answered, turning his predatory gaze toward Marissa. It took all Marissa had not to shoot him a disgusted look and walk away. Instead, she grinned at him.

"Hey, guyzz!" she repeated, but before any of them could reply, "HEY!" she shouted, "Do you guys know J.P. Somersworttthhh?" she questioned, glancing at her watch. 11:56. Damn, why did she have to drink so slow?

"Oh, yeah, J.P.?" one jock asked. Marissa nodded drunkenly.

"Yeah!" she said, over enthusiastically.

"Yeah, he's the dude that's hostin' this shit!" another jock told her, taking a long pull from his beer. Bingo.

"Wellll, where'z ee?" Marissa slurred, looking expectantly at him. He searched the party before pointing at the DJ balcony.

"See the DJ?" he asked. Marissa spun around to look. A guy stood next to the DJ, wearing an extremely loud floral print Hawaiian shirt. Marissa turned back to the jock.

"Eee-yup!" Marissa said simply, then added drunkenly, "You know, you're awful nice." The jock blushed.

"Urm, thank you," he shook his head, "Anyway, Justin's the one with the ridiculous shirt," he finished, before taking another pull from his beer. Marissa quickly let got of the guys she'd been clinging onto and strode quickly away, shouting a quick thank-you over her shoulder.

She passed Justin P. Somersworth on her way up the stairs. She quickly grabbed his arm, taking his soul at the same time. Justin looked at her quizzically.

"Oh, sorry," Marissa said sheepishly, "Lost my balance."

Justin smiled but didn't say anything as he continued his decent down the stairs. Marissa sighed. He still had a chance of falling down the stairs and breaking his neck. Or maybe someone brought a gun and he was the only unlucky one? Marissa paused on the stairs and watched Justin walking to his death. She glanced at her watch. 11:59. She looked up just in time to see him trip on the plush rug on his spiraling staircase. He ran forward to catch himself on the railing, but misjudged the height, which sent him right over the edge. Marissa heard the sickening crack of a neck breaking and turned her head away to come face to face with Justin. He looked at her, bewildered.

"Dude, that noise was gross," he said, making a slight grimace. Marissa felt the alcohol burning up her esophagus and could only nod in agreement or else be sick. People in the party were starting to notice what Marissa presumed was a rather bloody mess, depending on if he managed to tear the skin on his way down. She glanced over the railing. It was worse than she had originally thought. He'd hit his head off the edge of a dessert table, creating a large gash as well as the broken neck. He was bleeding an impressive pool all over the floor.

"Someone call an ambulance!" several people shouted, and Marissa didn't have the heart to stop them. Plus, someone had to pick up the body. She sighed and quickly chugged what remained of her wine, knowing it would probably do nothing good for her stomach but also not really caring. Finally, she looked at Justin.

"Ready to go?" she asked, straightening herself and beginning to descend the stairs. Justin quickly hurried after her.

"Shouldn't we try and help him?" Justin asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs. He gestured toward his own body. It took him a minute to realize that it was his body staring blankly and lifelessly back at him. Marissa watched as he suddenly looked outside, over at the pool area. Marissa couldn't quite see what he could. All she could see was a bright light. It hurt her eyes, but Justin was smiling stupidly at it.

"Wow," was all he said, and Marissa gave him a light shove. He turned to look at her questioningly.

"Go," Marissa urged, trying not to think about how she would probably never see what was on the other side of that blinding light.

"Aren't you coming?" Justin asked, turning his gaze back to the light. Marissa shook her head even though he couldn't see her.

"No," she said. She felt the need to explain but found herself at a loss for words. Finally, she shook her head again.

"No," she almost whispered, more to herself than to Justin.

"Suit yourself," he said simply, before walking over to the light. And then he was gone, and Marissa's attention was returned to the chaos that had ensued around Justin's dead body. An ambulance team had arrived and were quickly assessing the scene, shooing away onlookers and talking quietly. When they brought out the body bag, all hell broke loose.

"What?" several people shouted as the EMTs quickly shuffled the body into the bag.

"Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ" some girl was almost whispering, sitting in the corner and rocking back and forth. She had a bit of blood on her shirt, and several policemen were trying to calm her down. Marissa sighed and started walking out of the party. She shuffled through a sea of people once she was outside and started heading to her car. One EMT was leaning on one of the ambulance's doors, eating a ham sandwich. Marissa paused in her walking and stared at him. He was the same EMT who had escorted her from her own death scene. He looked up when he felt Marissa's eyes on him, and he gave her a slight nod before returning to his sandwich. Marissa just turned her gaze to her car, and was about to get in when she realized that she didn't have her purse anymore.

"Shit," she muttered, before turning and heading back towards the house. Once there, she realized that it wasn't nearly as busy. People had cleared out quickly to allow the EMTs room to move the body, and only a few people remained, some still a little shocked, others not quite sure what to do. Some were looking like zombies as they started pulling down decorations, obviously on auto-pilot. And some were busy getting rid of the evidence, finishing off the wet bar and disposing of the bottles.

Marissa quickly glanced about, before spotting her purse near the bar, where she'd apparently left it. She quickly made her way over, grabbed it, and went back into the house. She rummaged for her keys before glancing over at someone who was sitting by themselves on the bottom stair. Marissa froze as she stared at the sullen girl, who was holding an empty wine glass and wearing the saddest expression Marissa had ever seen on her face.

Marissa quickly forgot about her keys. She shoved them back into her purse and made her way over to the brunette, and realized that the she was crying. Marissa felt close to tears herself. This was the last person she would have expected to see here.

"Summer?" Marissa asked, before she could stop herself.

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:gasp: i'm so mean. a cliffhanger! another one! how diaboligal of me. next chapter's done, i'm just waiting for the incentive to post...if you catch my drift. ;P

:whistles and walks away: